Traditions of Scientific Forum Will Be Continued

Finno-Ugric studies,
having their old traditions, considered to be a scientific branch
that unites studies of languages
and cultures of
related Finno-Ugric and Samodian peoples.

The
international cooperation of scientists, who
conduct research in this
field acquired organized forms at the end of the 50s, during
Khruschev's times. At the scientists' meeting
in Helsinki and Leningrad it was decided to hold international congresses
for Finno-Ugric
studies once in 5 years in different countries
with
Finno-Ugric population (Hungary, Finland, USSR, since 1991 - Russia
and Estonia).

The first
International Congress took place in 1960 in Budapest, the
second-in Helsinki (1965), the third-in Tallinn (1970), the
fourth-in Budapest (1975), the fifth-in Turku (Finland) in 1980, the
sixth-in Syktyvkar (1985), the seventh-in Debretsen (Hungary) in 1990,the
eighth-in Yuvaskyla (Finland) in 1995, the ninth-in Tartu (Estonia) in 2000. The number
of participants varied from some tens in Budapest up to a thousand
and a half in Yuvaskyla. About a thousand participants took part in
the last congress in Tartu.

Russia is the place to hold
X congress. Taking into consideration that Republic
of Mari El is
considered to be the center of Finno-Ugric studies, the
International Committee of Finno-Ugric studies decided to hold
the Xth
International Congress in August 2005, in Yoshkar-Ola on the basis
of Mari State University.

It should be noted
that Estonia and Finland offer financial
support to publish the
works. In order to prepare good specialists in the field of
Finno-Ugric studies Universities of Finland, Hungary and Estonia
open special free
vacancies every year. Besides, courses on Finno-Ugric languages
in Russia as
well as abroad take place.

International
meetings of scientists, who deal with Finno-Ugric research, are
strongly
scientific without any political shade and they
contribute to mutual understanding between peoples and states on our
continent.

The preparation
work for the forum is going on in Yoshkar-Ola.

On April 5th, 2003 the issues
on Congress organization were discussed by L.A.Garanin,
the
chairman of the organizing committee, rector of
Mari State University V.I.Makarov with the Minister of the Russian
Government V.Yu.Zorin.

On May
28th, Ishtvan Fodor, the chairman of Hungarian national Finno-Ugric
Committee, studied the way the congress was being
prepared.

On June 6th, 2003,
the President of Mari El Republic L.I.Markelov sent a letter to
the President of the Russian Federation V.V.Putin asking for help
in organization of the Xth International Congress in Yoshkar-Ola.

O.Tikhonov,

Executive director of X International Congress
for Finno-Ugric Studies